I did it. I crossed something off of my bucket list. An idea slow-roasting in my mind’s rotisserie  for five years has finally come to pass. I died my hair red. Not a natural shade, but rather like Cherry Coke. I’ll call it Roy Rodgers Red. 

WHY would I do this to my hair?!?!  A breakup? A quarter-life crisis? A gothic phase? An obsession with Ginger Spice?!?

None of the above. (I lied. I love Ginger Spice ;)) But truly, red has always been a color that I gravitate towards. I love that it has ferocity, femininity, spirituality, playfulness, it is rambunctious, and it is eye-catching. It is the stuff of our livelihood; it is flowing through our veins. Nearly 6 years ago, I saw a young woman who had dark cherry locks and I was mesmerized. I had always assumed hair color to be something that should resemble somebody else’s natural, and if it wasn’t natural-looking, then you better be in a multi-million dollar rock band or a cartoon character. The way this woman wore her hair was not in a way that was meant to be either of these things. She remained polished, and womanly as she carried these flaming locks on her head. I took a mental photograph, and let my thoughts keep circulating.

So when I realized I was at a point in my life when the only thing truly stopping me from scratching this bold-colored itch, was myself, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Mastering a bold color like red is like wearing a flashy accessory that I can’t take off. Well okay I could take it off, but I don’t think a little hair dye will be as bad as Britney’s 2007. 

What I’m saying is that I needed to have a plan to execute! A bullseye to puncture! A vision to illustrate! Here are some of my favorite hairspirations:

   

I found myself constantly gravitating towards these bold, yet, surprisingly refined statements of fashion fearlessness. And I heard PeeWee saying

IF YOU LOVE IT SO MUCH WHY DONT YOU MARRY IT?

Okay so I know I’m not going to marry it, PeeWee, but I was coming to the realization that I was watching other people express themselves in a way I felt expressed me! It was, in short, a reality check. What was I waiting for? Why spend any more time, effort, and money to look in the mirror and see a girl who wasn’t executing her plans?

I saw no reason.

It was about more than hair color.

It always is.

But this time it wasn’t a breakup or a rebellion. This time it was a celebration. It is a celebration that I am on my way to making dreams come true, that I am surrounded by supportive people, and that I’m making a promise to myself to never live apologetically. Why apologize, hide, or comply with other’s ideas when I know my pursuits are those of love, passion, and happiness?

So I did it. Here’s a little “before and after”

 

*shout out to Stephanie, my wonderful friend and the arteeest behind it all 🙂

 

What I used to look like in my blogging chair:

What I look like now:

Oops I mean:

Something tells me this is going to be fun…..really fun.

…and I think it would take a lot to put out my new flames 😉

 

 

^^ Okay I hope I wasn’t the only one who laughed at that.

On behalf of myself and those firemen: happy hump day.

xo